Safe
by T.O. Bennett
Summary: Summary: Harry reflects on a war that is still raging and Severus comforts him…not slash, and not nearly as lame as it sounds…just read it, it’s short…


Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; I just sneak into J.K's backyard and kidnap her characters when she isn't looking…

A/N: Just a little ficlet I wrote to keep me occupied in Algebra gags but is also my protest to HBP. While I love and appreciate J.K. Rowling as an author, I must express my outrage at the conclusion of her latest novel…this a little angsty, but that's probably just due to the mood that I was in earlier today...anyway, on to the ficlet…Enjoy!

**_Safe_**

_Blanketed in still-falling snow, Hogwarts seemed to glow silver in the light of the moon; a beacon of light and safety. Students were tucked safely into their beds and teachers were making final rounds of the corridors before heading off to bed themselves. The grounds were empty except for a lone figure standing by the lake._

Green eyes shown through the semi-darkness and reflected off the glassy surface of the water; calm, so unlike his thoughts. His mind was in turmoil, his heart in disrepair. Electric emerald hid beneath dark lashes and heavy lids for a moment and were misty and pain-filled when they reappeared; showcasing his emotions to the world.

"Why?" he whispered to the night, or to God, or to anyone who was willing to listen.

Here stood the great "Boy-who-lived"; broken, hurting and lost. Here was the best hope for the world, forced to shoulder it's burdens and it's eternal woes. Here was the man who was forced to grow up to fast by neglectful relatives and a dark destiny. Here was Harry Potter.

"Is no one safe anymore? I thought we were protected here." The broken boy glanced at the place he had once called home. In a matter of seconds, the safe haven of the school had diminished into a rocky ruin of rubble and unkempt plants. This was Hogwarts, the finest school of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the United Kingdom, as it had been for half a year. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

"Too many died for my sake. My parents, Sirius, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, even…" his voice broke and he fell to his knees. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he sobbed and screamed poured his soul into the mourning of his friends; the only family he had ever known.

"If you're quite trough with making a spectacle of yourself, I suggest we leave, Potter. It isn't safe here." A cold, calculating voice weaved through his thoughts, though not nearly as harshly as it was meant to be.

"Not safe? Not safe! It's not safe anywhere!" Harry cried bitterly, leaping from his spot on the snow-covered ground. His green eyes flashed with tears and guilt, anger and fear. "No one is safe while that madman lives, no one! Stop bloody protecting me and save those people worth saving! Keep them from hurting, keep them from dieing. Help them. They need it more than I do!"

His energy sapped, he sank back to the ground, no longer willing to fight. No longer willing to live. He placed his head in his hands before continuing.

"When Dumbledore died, we lost this war…why am I the only one to see that?"

Severus Snape gracefully lowered himself to a kneeling position next to Harry.

"We haven't lost yet, Potter. You, of all people, should know not to give up. People look to you for strength, for reasons only God knows why, and you provide, however unwittingly, hope for them. For all of us."

Harry sighed and looked at his ex-professor, running a hand through his perpetually messy hair.

"Why must is be so hard…so lonely? Now I don't even have my friends to keep me grounded. I'm not sure I can do this. I'm not sure anyone can do this."

Privately, Severus agreed. All he did in response, however, was to stand up and offer his hand to the green-eyed boy. Harry accepted and as soon as he was upright and on his feet, the now-retired Potions Master pulled him into a tight hug.

"I have faith in you…Harry." The name was alien on his tongue, but sounded right all the same as he whispered into the small boy's hair.

With an almost unnoticeable gasp, Harry glanced at the man he had once hated. Though he was startled by the tenderness, he eventually snuggled deeper into the embrace, relishing the comfort it provided.

He mumbled inaudibly into the hug and Severus quirked and eyebrow.

"What was that, Potter?"

"I lied," Harry repeated, pulling back slightly, but never releasing his hold. "Before, when I said that no place or person was safe, I lied."

"Do tell," the snide professor smirked.

"Yeah," Harry smiled at the unlikely father figure in his life. "Because when I'm here," he motioned between the two of them. "I feel the most protected. When you're safe, I'm safe. And when I'm with you, I'm home."

Snape scowled and moved away from the pain-in-the-arse known as Harry Potter and spoke with a barely noticeable hint of affection.

"No need to get sentimental, Brat. A simple 'thank you' would have sufficed."

Harry laughed and fell into step beside the overgrown bat by the name of Severus Snape, who had begun trudging through the snow towards the beaten path to Hogsmead. The raven-haired Gryffindor wasn't sure what exactly was in his future, but he knew that so long as he had Severus, he would always be safe.

Well, we've come to the end, dear readers. Now I think we all know what we have to do…that's right, review! Please? I'd greatly appreciate it despite the length (or lack there of). Well, this is Luckystar14 over and out!


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